The need to reduce automotive fuel consumption and emissions is well known. Therefore, vehicles are being developed that reduce or completely eliminate reliance on internal combustion engines. Electrified vehicles are one type of vehicle currently being developed for this purpose. In general, electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because they are selectively driven by one or more battery powered electric machines. Conventional motor vehicles, by contrast, rely exclusively on the internal combustion engine to drive the vehicle.
A high voltage battery pack for powering electric machines and other electrical loads typically includes multiple battery assemblies, or battery arrays, that include a plurality of interconnected battery modules comprised of battery cells. A power output of these high voltage batteries is a function of various factors, one of which is battery temperature. At extreme hot and cold ambient temperatures, the ability of the battery to charge and discharge may be limited. This issue becomes more critical with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as there is no engine to compensate for the loss of battery power. Thus, the vehicle's performance and drivability can be reduced with these reductions of charge and discharge power limits.